2010: Another “Year of The Smartphone”

Some say 2009 was the Year of the Smartphone, but it looks more and more like 2010 is more deserving of that designation. During the first quarter of the year, global shipments of smartphones reached 54.7 million units, up 56.7 percent from the same quarter a year ago, says IDC.

A spectacular gain, which far outpaced the 21.7 percent growth of the broader mobile market. And the fact that it follows a 38 percent surge in the fourth quarter, historically the strongest quarter of the year, makes it all the more impressive.

So which smartphone manufacturers benefited most from this spike in growth? None more than Apple (AAPL). The company saw sales of its iPhone rise 131.6 percent year-over-year for a 16.1 percent share of the global smartphone market. Motorola (MOT) and HTC, too, experienced dramatic increases in sales. Motorola’s rose 91.7 percent for a market share of 4.2 percent; HTC’s rose 73.3 percent for a 4.8 percent share (see table below; click to enlarge).

Still, the market leaders remained the same: A 56.9 percent surge in sales gave Nokia (NOK) the top spot in the market with a 39.3 percent share and the 45.2 percent increase Research in Motion (RIMM) enjoyed landed it in the number two spot with a 19.4 percent share.

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